To get to our place from Liberia: Plan A
Paved roads, signs everywhere
Get your rental car, you will be on the main n/s highway.
Easy way: (Approx 1hr 15 mins) Go south, head towards Filadelphia, and in Belen turn right at the gas station-there are signs aplenty for Tamarindo, Flamingo, etc.
You will drive for about 15-mins, then the road makes a sharp left (the right is not paved, so….) and continue through the gentle hills. There is a "Monkey Park" and a canopy tour on the right side of the road, we have never been to either…keep going and you will see a gas station on your left…this is called LLANO, and is the closest gas station to our place…go over the hill and you are in Huacas.
In the middle of Huacas, the road splits-left to Tamarindo, you will keep going straight/right. In about a kilometer, there is a right turn-take it toward Flamingo, Brasilito, Potrero, Sugar Beach, etc…..
In about 8 mins you will be in Brasilito, go over the bridge and in about 300 yds the road turns right (you will pass the Happy Snapper Restaurant on your right just before the turn), and keep going for another 10 mins. You will pass a gas station on your left-it is not functional….and keep going. As you come closer, you are still on a paved road, you will pass a ferreteria on your left (hardware store) and the super Masai on your right. In 200 yards the road splits-there is a bank on your left, straight goes to Flamingo and is paved, you turn right, plug in 4wd and follow the road…..you will go over a bridge, see the ocean, and keep going following signs for Potrero. You will wind around, and see the Castillo bakery on your right, at this point the road turns right….after the turn on your left about 100yds down is a three story white building-that has the pizza rest on the top, grocery store in bottom (Ronald's) and another 100yds on your right after THE SHACK< is special Places of Guanacaste which is where you will get your keys, etc. from Becky or Sharon.
Back onto the road, keep going for another 200 yds, on your left in Perla's, there is a full intersection, turn left. Keep going over two bridges, winding along the ocean, about 2-3 kilometers and the road deadends into a Hotel/Restaurant. Turn left, over the bridge, and you are at the Potrero soccer field; go straight along the bottom of the field, turn right, you will see the church on your left, keep going about 300 yards straight-on your right is Sol y Mar local restaurant and the road splits-take the left, go about 4oo yards and you will see a guard shack, driveway with a pole-pull up, he will let you in-go straight up the hill (it actually curves left, but….) at the top, on your left is number 10-that is us, the one with the glass privacy guard on the balconies. Park in front, and………..
Airport to our house-Plan B. Fun but rough….
From the airport:
take the main road toward Filadelphia/Belen/Nicoya as usual....
Cross the Krokodil river and bridge, go past the Do it Center....about 2-3 kilometers down is a new gas station on the left, and to the right the road to Sardinal.
Turn right, you will go through flat fields for several miles, past the PALI market, and then the road bears right, and there is a continuation straight--go right (this is the only paved decision point and it is a little counter intuitive, but do not go straight, do not cross the little bridge)--now you will pass a gas station on your left--keep going about 1-2 kilometers.....
Watch for a sign on the left side that says" Canopy tours" and has a picture of a monkey on it--faded main colors are green and white. Turn left onto the dirt road, you will pass right under the sign......now you are on the dirt road for about 10 kilometers through hill and dale--you will pass a big electrical station on your right, houses here and there, etc.......as the road flattens out again you will come through a small village--I use the term lightly, and you will see a white concrete wall-the road splits and goes straigh/tright and there is a turn to the leftt--on the wall is a CANOPY TOUR sign-so you will take the left. SLOW DOWN-in about a hundred yards the road turns right and you are at/in the first river crossing--they take all kinda cars through here but it may make you pucker.....cross the river, slowly you go straight up, down and you cross the river again--as soon as you are over the second crossing you will see the CANOPY tours place on your right-keep going and there is a road off to the right just after the tour place--stay left.
(OPTION--if you see the river and just can't make your self do this..I get it, it takes a while to get used to--go back about 50 feet-on your right is the other entrance to the canopy tour place for buses-drive through there, across their bridge and then out by the little restaurant/gift shop--this eliminates both river crossings and you can stop in for a beer.....)
Now you will climb up and down four hills-take your time, and remember that there are beer trucks, caterpillars, backhoes etc on this road coming the other way--you will pass the Drinking Village with a Fishing problem sign on your left, and after that you go down the last hill--keep going, there are no decision points for about 6 kilometers--you wil see a road off the left---there is a sign there for canopy tours pointing the way you just came--this is an important landmark coming the other way, i.e. going to the airport.
As you get to civilization, hah, but you see the houses of Surfside-stay on the right, watch for signs to Sugar Beach--you will come right past Marco POLO restaurant, and into the square of Potrero-soccer field--keep straight, go right at other side of field, notice restaurant Sol y Mar on your right, then make a left and you are 300 yards from our front gate.
Simple summary-take the main highway, take the road to Sardinal, stay right at only paved decision, turn left under canopy sign-you have nowhere to go until you get to second left turn at the concrete wall-then you really just stay on the road till you get to Potrero-------in reverse you just have to stay left at the two decision points before you go up the hills--coming from the airport they don't look like decision points...)
(Option-after you pass Marco Polo, about 500 yards, is the left turn, just before the Potrero bridge, and that takes you direction Flamingo-go past Belgian restaurant, cross the bridge, turn right at Perla's and then Becky's is about 200 yards down on your left, the Castle Bakery is another 200 yards ahead of you.)
If you get lost-before you pass the canopy tours place-just ask anyone where is Canopy tours?-after that you ask for Portrero, but there really aren't any decisions.....I suggest you print this and have the co-pilot read as you go.
Have Fun!
